Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Shares Sold by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. cut its holdings in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) by 17.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 24,629 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 5,030 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Linde were worth $10,311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LIN. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Linde by 144.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Linde Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ LIN opened at $442.46 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $436.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $453.14. The company has a market capitalization of $210.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.94. Linde plc has a 1 year low of $396.07 and a 1 year high of $487.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.89 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $8.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. Linde had a net margin of 19.33% and a return on equity of 18.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.63 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Linde plc will post 15.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were paid a $1.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $5.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,218 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.35, for a total transaction of $963,388.30. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 25,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,260,958.10. This trade represents a 7.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Paula Rosput Reynolds acquired 100 shares of Linde stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $441.34 per share, with a total value of $44,134.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 233 shares in the company, valued at $102,832.22. The trade was a 75.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their price target on Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Linde from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $480.00 to $515.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Linde has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $495.75.

Linde Profile

Linde plc operates as an industrial gas company in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and South Pacific. It offers atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases; and process gases, such as carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.